Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. Guides

How to use Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons on PC

Jesse Lennox
By

Built as an improvement over the Wiimote and Nunchuck from the Wii, the Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons are some of the most comfortable controllers around. The ability to split the pair and let your arms rest at whatever distance you want was something most gamers didn't even know they wanted until they experienced it. However, the only way you could experience it was when playing on your Switch. Until now, that is.

Related Videos

Difficulty

Moderate

Duration

15 minutes

What You Need

  • Joy-Cons

  • PC with Bluetooth functionality

Thanks to the flexibility and customizable nature of PCs, gaming on your computer allows for just about any input method you can think of. While it was originally not very reliable, Joy-Cons are now able to mostly function as PC controllers without issue. If you're playing a title that is better served with a controller or simply want to take a break from a mouse and keyboard, here's how you can use your Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons on a PC.

Four Joy-Con controllers next to a Switch.
Shutterstock by saksorn kumjit

How to connect Joy-Cons to your PC

Once you have your Joy-Cons and PC ready to go, the process of connecting the two is very simple. Here's how to do it.

Step 1: On your PC, go to Start > Devices > Bluetooth and make sure it is turned on.

Step 2: Hold down the Sync buttons on both your Joy-Cons until the four lights are flashing.

Related

Step 3: Back on the PC, select Add a device.

Step 4: You will need to choose each individual Joy-Con one at a time from the list to connect them both.

Step 5: Select Done.

A Steam Collection shows a player's backlog.

How to use Joy-Cons with Steam

Just pairing your Joy-Cons isn't the final step, however. You do need to do a little bit more to get them working with your games. If you want to use them with games from your Steam library, here's how to do it.

Step 1: Open Steam.

Step 2: Go into the Settings and go into Account section.

Step 3: Opt in to the Steam beta updates.

Step 4: Restart Steam.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Joy-Con.

How to use Joy-Cons on all other games

If you have games you want to play outside of steam, you will need another way to get your computer to register your controller inputs. Here's the easiest way to do it.

Step 1: Download BetterJoy.

Step 2: Open and run the setup file to install the drivers.

Step 3: Once installed, run BetterJoyForCemu.

Step 4: You can now select how you want the PC to read your Joy-Cons. You can use them as a single pair or two individual controllers.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Easy to install, this 2TB internal SSD for PS5 with heatsink is $160 off
The WD Black SN850 internal SSD being installed in a PlayStation 5.

Sony's PlayStation 5 may have exceeded most expectations, but the console has one glaring limitation -- it only has 825GB of storage space. If you want to install all the titles that you purchase from PS5 game deals, you'll need an internal SSD like Western Digital's WD Black SN850. It will expand your PlayStation 5's internal memory by 2TB for just $200, as it's currently on sale from Best Buy with a $160 discount on its original price of $360. If you're interested, you need to buy it now because we expect this offer to draw a lot of attention.

Why you should buy the WD Black SN850 2TB Internal SSD
The PlayStation 5 is equipped with an 825GB hard drive, but you can only use 667GB of that for games. That's nowhere near enough even for casual gamers, especially as the size of AAA titles continue to grow. Fortunately, you can expand its memory with products like Western Digital's WD Black SN850 2TB Internal SSD. It's officially licensed for the PlayStation 5, so you don't have to worry that it will mess up your console. It's also easy to install -- after removing the console's faceplates, you'll instantly see the M.2 expansion slot that's waiting to accept the internal SSD.

Read more
Pick up these Nintendo games you can only get on Wii U and 3DS
xenoblade and pokemon picross headline eshop update chronicles x nintendo wii u

The Nintendo Switch has one of the greatest first-party lineups of any Nintendo console. In addition to several outstanding original games, a lot of awesome Wii U games like Super Mario 3D World, Pikmin 3, and Mario Kart 8 finally got all the love they deserved when they were ported to the Switch. Even some 3DS games like Miitopia have made their way to Nintendo Switch. Still, that isn't all-encompassing, so when the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U eShops are discontinued on March 27, we will lose access to some amazing first-party Nintendo games that aren't available elsewhere.
From black sheep in their respective series to new IP that tests out some novel ideas, four Wii U and four 3DS games that are still platform exclusives stuck out the most to us. If you're specifically looking for Nintendo-published games to pick up before the 3DS and Wii U eShops stop allowing the purchase of new games, consider picking up one of these titles.
Xenoblade Chronicles X

Considering the rest of the Xenoblade Chronicles series is on Nintendo Switch, it's very surprising that Xenoblade Chronicles X has not made the jump over yet. This RPG stands as the black sheep of the series, with a more gritty style and tone, mech suits, and a plot about humans who crash land on an alien planet after escaping Earth, which might be why it didn't come over before the trilogy was completed. Xenoblade Chronicles X is a great game in its own right, though, and also makes ample use of the Wii U GamePad for its detailed map and menus. As such, it's a worthwhile Wii U pickup for those who like to play games uniquely tailored to the system and enjoy seeing what the oddball entries in game franchises have to offer. 
Star Fox Zero

Read more
This Alienware gaming laptop with 32GB RAM, RTX 3080 Ti is $1,050 off
God of War running on the Alienware x17 R2 laptop.

If you love the portability of gaming laptops, but get frustrated by how they usually have less power than their desktop counterparts, the Alien x17 line is the answer. Of course they're not cheap. Thankfully, Dell is having a limited time deal on the Alienware x17 R2. Right now you can get it for $3,000 after a $1,050 discount. It won't be around forever, so grab one soon.

Why you should buy the Alienware x17 R2 gaming laptop
Our laptop buying guide says gaming laptops should be built to keep up with the requirements of today's video games. The Alienware x17 R2 takes things further, as it's also prepared to run titles that are still on their way with its 12th-generation Intel Core i9 processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti graphics card. It's even got 32GB of RAM, exactly how much our guide on how much RAM you need recommends if you're planning to run multiple apps in the background while you're playing. With the Alienware x17 R2, not only will you be able to select the highest settings of the best PC games, but you also won't have to worry about making upgrades for years to come.

Read more